Monday, December 20, 2010

Before I had kids, I never wanted to do any shopping by myself. Everything from grocery shopping to strolling through the mall to running to the drugstore was just so much more enjoyable if I could talk my husband into coming along with me.

Now that I have children? Even a trip out to pick up a pack of diapers by myself is a luxury. Fortunately, with so many options for online shopping these days, even if I can't find a way to leave the house on my own, I can still order just what I need right from my computer at any time of day.

But... then who do I ask for an opinion? Plus, online shopping often ends up taking more time than I want to spend as well. Even though I'm not driving around looking for a parking space or standing in a long line of crabby shoppers, I find that I don't want to make a purchase without doing a lot of research to make sure I've found the best choice at the lowest price. Is there anyone out there that doesn't want to save money when they shop?

However, now it's easy to find the cheapest options and best deals and have them all laid out clearly thanks to the innovative social shopping site JoeShopping.com!

Not just another e-commerce site or deal website, JoeShopping.com is a social shopping website that combines comparison shopping with social networking. They're not pushing to sell you anything (which is a nice change), their goal is to connect shoppers with... other shoppers. Instead of just one consumer searching the web to find a bargain, wouldn't it be better if there were hundreds who could share what they had found with each other so everyone could benefit?

Registering for an account on JoeShopping.com is fast, easy and, most importantly, free. Within minutes I had my profile set up and began browsing through all of the possibilities that they have to offer - only to find that there were so many great options!

First there was the ability to comparison shop like no other site offers. With hundreds of thousands of items listed from stores all across the internet, searching for an item is easy no matter if you are looking for something in particular or just want to browse. Once you find something to click on, the results include a photo, a thorough description and a list of stores where it is sold, as well as the prices at each one.

Not only can you click to purchase and be able to do so directly from the store itself (no worries about where exactly your money is going), but you can see if there are any coupons or deals or if other members of the JoeShopping community have reviewed or rated that item - making it easy to read just what they liked or didn't like about it. I don't know about you, but I like reviews that are written by real people who think and shop the same way that I do.

As a certain someone that I know has been asking for Toy Story sheets for Christmas, I was able to quickly browse for "Toy Story bedding" and find everything from coordinating pieces to blankets to toddler beds to full sets in a whole range of prices right there on JoeShopping. Now I just need to decide how much of Big Sister E's room that I want covered in Buzz Lightyear and Woody!

But in-depth comparison shopping is far from being the only unique aspect of JoeShopping. With the social media aspect involved, you can connect with other users on just about any topic - ask a question about shopping, talk about a purchase, even just chat about your day. Everyone is eager to help or just lend an ear and you don't have to feel like you're making an uninformed purchase without getting other worthwhile opinions.

I have been amazed at just how friendly everyone in the community has been; within a few hours of joining I had multiple friend requests and comments about the cute picture I uploaded for my profile (one of me with Big Sister E when she was a baby). And all of the forum categories make it simple to find a specific place or topic to post or read about.

So... why join? Well, along with the benefits of saving money (there are even online coupon codes and printable grocery coupons) and making some great online friendships and connections, just about everything you do on JoeShopping earns you JoePoints. Update your profile or shopping status, make new friends, submit a product review, write on a message board, add a video... it all adds up and those points can be redeemed for entries into the monthly JoePoints Sweepstakes for a total of $1,000 worth of prizes!

Not enough? Right now there is an even bigger reason to head over to JoeShopping: the $5,000 Refer-A-Friend Contest. Through email, a blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc, you can refer your friends over to join and will earn points for not only how many register but how much they actually use the site. At the end of the contest period (coming up soon - December 31st!) the person with the most points will win $3,000 and 20 runners up will each win $100. Not bad for hanging out talking about shopping!

With so many great features already and many more in the planning stages, visiting JoeShopping is like going virtual shopping with a group of friends. Get feedback, ask which toy is better than the other or just read about positive and negative experiences that people have had so that you can make your own online shopping even better. It's a fun social network all about shopping, how can you go wrong?

In fact, thanks to their generosity, one person is going to be an even bigger fan of JoeShopping soon, because...

One lucky person will win a $100 Amazon gift card from JoeShopping.com!

To enter to win: Visit JoeShopping.com and tell me one of the Hot Deals that you found there that caught your eye.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow JoeShopping on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Giveaway will end on January 14th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

A big thank you to JoeShopping.com for providing a $100 Amazon gift card for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.